In developing countries, or in resource-limited environments in high income countries, there is no economical and efficient means to count medication quickly or accurately. This is most apparent when working with the larger medication and prescription counts necessary for managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and HIV, all of which are very common. For these chronic conditions, patients receiving between 2-week and 3-month supplies of medication can amount to 60-600 pills. These prescriptions are counted manually with a plastic tray and spatula, which is incredibly time consuming and subject to significant human error, especially when the clinic is understaffed and/or overburdened with prescriptions.
Disasters such as the 2015 Nepal Earthquake highlight environments in which economical and efficient means for counting and dispensing medication would prove highly beneficial. Healthcare workers often receive bulk supplies of donated medicines from around the world, but since there is often a lack of electricity, they are limited to counting medication by hand using a plastic tray and spatula. This method consumes a considerable amount of time for volunteer doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other personnel whose expertise could be put to better use.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved devices and systems for counting medication faster and more accurately than manual plastic trays and spatulas. Additionally, the devices and systems should be manual, easy to use and transport. This need and other needs are satisfied by the various aspects of the present disclosure.